as a tactical matter, they feel they don't want to give in on the tax -- the tax cuts only for income below $250 thousand dollars feeling they've lost the leverage to push far deal on entitlements. there are only ten legislative days to work something out here. they seem dug in and unwilling to do what everybody knows they have to do and that's reach a comprehensive deal. >> i'm not totally sold on the idea that the republicans aren't being totally unreasonable. i think i see some signs of reasonableness and i think what they're trying to do is find a way to convince the base, look, we tried. we got pushed in to a corner. we had to raise rates on the highest earners, trying to find a path to, yes, first read talked about this. translation house republicans don't have the upper hand in the negotiations. they will have to grapple with raising rates at least in the short term and cole is giving them a way out of the box short term which is the do on the de-couple on the upper rates and live to fight another day and raising rates and not crushed by the base and kicked out of the d.c. do y